Cooling chamber for upstream weld of damping resonator on turbine component

Abstract

A cover ( 54, 54 A-B) enclosing with clearance ( 65 ) an acoustic damping resonator ( 24 ) on a working gas path liner ( 22 ) of a gas turbine component ( 28 ). The cover includes a coolant inlet chamber ( 56, 56 B) with a top wall ( 58, 58 B) that is closer to the liner than a top wall ( 32 ) of the resonator, and extends upstream from the resonator relative to the working gas flow ( 48 ). Compressed air ( 26 ) surrounds the cover at a higher pressure than the working gas and flows ( 44 ) into and through the coolant inlet chamber, then through holes ( 34 ) in the resonator, then exits through holes ( 38 ) the liner into the working gas. The coolant inlet chamber directs the flow of compressed air over a weld ( 50 ) of the upstream wall ( 40 ) of the resonator to cool it. The cover may be formed as a box ( 57 ) or a sleeve ( 69 ).

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A damping resonator cooling apparatus comprising:
 an acoustic damping resonator comprising a resonating cavity enclosed by resonator walls welded to a liner bounding a flow path of a turbine working gas; 
 a cover enclosing the resonator and providing an airflow clearance between the cover and the resonator; and 
 a portion of the cover forming a coolant inlet chamber that is upstream of a resonator upstream wall of the resonator walls relative to a flow direction of the turbine working gas in the flow path; 
 wherein when a compressed air surrounds the cover at a higher pressure than a pressure of the working gas, the compressed air passes into the coolant inlet chamber through an inlet of the coolant inlet chamber and flows past an upstream weld of said resonator upstream wall to the liner. 
 
     
     
       2. The cooling apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the coolant inlet chamber is formed by an impingement box comprising a coolant inlet chamber top wall with an impingement hole angled to direct a flow of the compressed air against said upstream weld of said resonator upstream wall. 
     
     
       3. The cooling apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the resonator comprises:
 a resonator top wall of said resonator walls that is separated from the liner by a first height; 
 resonator air inlet holes in said resonator to wall; 
 resonator air outlet holes through the liner from the resonating cavity; and 
 wherein the coolant inlet chamber is formed by an impingement box comprising an impingement box top wall separated from the liner by a second height that is less than the first height; and
 impingement inlet holes in said impingement box top wall. 
 
 
     
     
       4. The cooling apparatus of  claim 3  wherein at least some of said impingement inlet holes in said impingement box top wall provide direct impingement of the compressed air against the liner within the coolant inlet chamber. 
     
     
       5. The cooling apparatus of  claim 3  wherein at least an aft subset of said impingement inlet holes in said impingement box top wall provide direct impingement of the compressed air against said upstream weld of said resonator upstream wall. 
     
     
       6. The cooling apparatus of  claim 3  wherein a forward subset of said impingement inlet holes in said impingement box top wall provide direct impingement of the compressed air against an impingement box upstream wall of the impingement box. 
     
     
       7. The cooling apparatus of  claim 3  wherein a forward subset of said impingement inlet holes in said impingement box top wall are aligned with an inner surface of an impingement box upstream wall of the impingement box, and provide film cooling along said impingement box upstream wall. 
     
     
       8. The cooling apparatus of  claim 3  wherein a forward subset of said impingement inlet holes in said impingement box top wall directs the compressed air against or along an inner surface of an impingement box upstream wall of the impingement box, and an aft subset of said impingement inlet holes in said impingement box top wall provide direct impingement of the compressed air against said upstream weld of said resonator upstream wall. 
     
     
       9. The cooling apparatus of  claim 3  wherein said air that flows past said upstream weld of said resonator upstream wall continues into said airflow clearance between the cover and the resonator, and the cover further comprises inlet holes not on the impingement box that admit additional compressed air into said airflow clearance between the cover and the resonator. 
     
     
       10. The cooling apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the coolant inlet chamber is formed between a convective cooling sleeve and the liner, wherein the cooling sleeve comprises an open upstream end and a cooling sleeve top wall that is closer to the liner than a resonator top wall of the resonator walls. 
     
     
       11. The cooling apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the compressed air surrounds the cover at a higher pressure than air within said airflow clearance between the cover and the resonator. 
     
     
       12. A damping resonator cooling apparatus for a gas turbine component comprising:
 a liner of the component bounding a flow path of a working gas of the gas turbine; 
 a damping resonator comprising a resonating cavity enclosed by walls welded to the liner of the component; 
 a resonator top wall of the resonator walls separated from the liner by a first height; 
 air inlet holes in the resonator top wall; 
 air outlet holes through the liner from the resonator; 
 a cover enclosing the resonator with an airflow clearance between the cover and the resonator; and 
 a portion of the cover extending upstream of a resonator upstream wall of the resonator walls relative to a flow direction of the working gas within the liner, said portion of the cover forming a coolant inlet chamber comprising a coolant inlet chamber top wall spaced from the liner by less than the first height; 
 wherein when a compressed air surrounds the cover at a higher pressure than a pressure of the working gas within the liner, the coolant inlet chamber accelerates a flow of the compressed air over a weld of the resonator upstream wall to the liner. 
 
     
     
       13. The cooling apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the coolant inlet chamber toe wall comprises impingement inlet holes that provide direct impingement of the compressed air onto the liner upstream of the resonator. 
     
     
       14. The cooling apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the coolant inlet chamber top wall comprises inlet holes that direct a flow of the compressed air along or against a front wall of the coolant inlet chamber. 
     
     
       15. The cooling apparatus of  claim 12  further comprising impingement cooling inlet holes for the compressed air in the coolant inlet chamber top wall, and other compressed air inlet holes in the cover apart from the coolant inlet chamber. 
     
     
       16. The cooling apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the coolant inlet chamber top wall comprises a convective cooling sleeve with an open upstream end. 
     
     
       17. The cooling apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the compressed air surrounding the cover has a higher pressure than air within the airflow clearance between the cover and the resonator. 
     
     
       18. A damping resonator cooling apparatus comprising:
 a liner bounding a flow of a working gas in a gas turbine component; 
 a vibration damping resonator comprising a resonating cavity enclosed by walls welded onto the liner; 
 a cover enclosing the vibration damping resonator and providing an airflow clearance between the cover and the resonator; 
 a coolant inlet chamber connected to and extending upstream from the cover and upstream of a resonator upstream wall of the resonator walls relative to a direction of the flow of the working gas bounded by the liner; 
 wherein the coolant inlet chamber is welded to the liner, and a top wall of the coolant inlet chamber is closer to the liner than is a top wall of the resonator; and 
 wherein the coolant inlet chamber is configured to receive a compressed gas surrounding the cover at a higher pressure than the working gas, and to accelerate the compressed gas over an upstream weld of the resonator upstream wall to the liner. 
 
     
     
       19. The cooling apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising impingement inlet holes in the top wall of the coolant inlet chamber configured to provide direct impingent cooling by the compressed gas on the liner. 
     
     
       20. The cooling apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the coolant inlet chamber comprises a flow sleeve with an open upstream end, wherein the flow sleeve is configured to provide forced convective cooling by the compressed gas on the liner.